Reviews
"Provocative, shocking, moving." --Kirkus Reviews "What cannot be doubted is importance of Ray Russell's novel. It was a predecessor of many famous fictions involving exorcisms, a subject all but forgotten at the time. This book began a sub-genre of literature and is arguably its finest example. It is a well-written and accessible work that is delightfully full of careful nuance, yet free from weighty judgments and pesky dogmatic diatribes. But, most of all, it is a fantastic horror story. Instead of watching The Exorcist for the umpteenth time this Halloween season, read this short but thought-provoking and dramatic novel instead." --Portland Book Review "Russell links postpulp literature and the Grand Grand Guignol tradition with the modern sensibilities of America in the 1960s...[He is] a fascinating combination of the liberal and the heretic." --Guillermo del Toro, Praise for The Case Against Satan: "Provocative, shocking, moving." -Kirkus Reviews Praise for Ray Russell: "[ Sardonicus is] perhaps the finest example of the modern gothic ever written." -Stephen King "Russell links postpulp literature and the Grand Grand Guignol tradition with the modern sensibilities of America in the 1960s...[He is] a fascinating combination of the liberal and the heretic." -Guillermo del Toro, "A sleek, compelling tale of diabolical possession that prefigures Ira Levin's Rosemary's Baby ." --Michael Dirda, The Washington Post "With gripping clarity and incisive wit, Russell weaves a suspenseful plot that's more of an intellectual thriller than a horror yarn. And at a time when there are still massive ideological battles being waged between science and religion -- not to mention a Pope in the Vatican who's interpreting Catholic doctrine in a way that's inspiring to some and feather-ruffling to others -- The Case Against Satan retains its harrowing, relevant edge." --NPR "Provocative, shocking, moving." --Kirkus Reviews "[A] sincere and subtle tale of ultimate evil that feels less dated than many of the works it inspired." --The Seattle Times "What cannot be doubted is importance of Ray Russell's novel. It was a predecessor of many famous fictions involving exorcisms, a subject all but forgotten at the time. This book began a sub-genre of literature and is arguably its finest example. It is a well-written and accessible work that is delightfully full of careful nuance, yet free from weighty judgments and pesky dogmatic diatribes. But, most of all, it is a fantastic horror story. Instead of watching The Exorcist for the umpteenth time this Halloween season, read this short but thought-provoking and dramatic novel instead." --Portland Book Review "Russell links postpulp literature and the Grand Grand Guignol tradition with the modern sensibilities of America in the 1960s...[He is] a fascinating combination of the liberal and the heretic." --Guillermo del Toro
